Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: Providing more powerful policy guarantee for the ten-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River
Cctv newsOn the afternoon of Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the State Council Press Office held a routine briefing on the State Council policy, introducing the Opinions on Unswervingly Promoting the Ten-year Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River and answering reporters’ questions.
Tang Renjian, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, introduced that, according to the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the main stream of the Yangtze River, large Tongjiang lakes, important tributaries and parts of the Yangtze River estuary will be closed for 10 years from January 1, 2021, and the productive fishing of natural fishery resources will be prohibited all the year round. According to the requirements of the State Council, since 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has led the establishment of a work coordination mechanism consisting of 12 departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and the General Administration of Market Supervision. Leading groups and special work classes have also been set up in various places along the Yangtze River, in accordance with the general idea of "starting from a good step in one year, managing it well, strengthening the foundation in three years, and maintaining it in ten years".
First, strengthen the top-level design and continuously improve the policy system. Around the notice of the General Office of the State Council on doing a good job in the work related to the ban on fishing in the Yangtze River basin, more than 70 policies, such as resettlement guarantee for retired fishermen, law enforcement and supervision on the ban on fishing, resource protection and restoration, and evaluation of the effect of the ban on fishing, have been issued successively. All localities have formulated and improved supporting policies and local regulations in light of actual conditions, and established a policy system with mutual connection, effective measures and strong guarantee.
Second, insist on taking multiple measures at the same time, and the resettlement guarantee for retired fishermen is strong and effective. Set up files for 231,000 fishermen who have retired, set up cards one by one, classify policies, track and help, and improve the level of employment and social security through multiple channels. 154,000 retired fishermen who have the ability and willingness to work have all changed jobs. All the 221,000 retired fishermen who meet the insurance requirements have participated in the old-age insurance, and nearly 51,000 people have received pensions. According to the follow-up survey data, the average monthly income of retired fishermen increased by 20% year-on-year in 2023, and the retired fishermen were generally satisfied.
Third, strict law enforcement and supervision have effectively curbed illegal fishing. In the past three years, agricultural and rural departments and public security organs at all levels have investigated and dealt with more than 1,600 administrative cases and more than 500 criminal cases involving fishing every month, and market supervision departments have investigated and dealt with more than 300 related cases every month, maintaining a high-pressure and severe crackdown on illegal fishing. With the implementation of the "Liangjiang Project", video surveillance equipment basically covers the main stream of the Yangtze River, the Yangtze Estuary, Poyang Lake, Dongting Lake and other key waters, and the number of certified fishery law enforcement personnel along the Yangtze River has reached 10,400, which is four times higher than before the total ban on fishing. A law enforcement system that combines civil air defense technology with defense and pays equal attention to specialized management and group management has initially formed.In 2023, the number of illegal fishing reported by the masses decreased by 28% year-on-year, and the high incidence of illegal fishing was effectively curbed..
Fourth, make overall plans for protection and restoration, and restore aquatic biological resources. According to the evaluation results of closed fishing effect and biological integrity index carried out by China Academy of Water Sciences, the aquatic biological integrity index of the main stream of the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake has been improved by two grades from the worst "no fish" before closed fishing. In 2022, the population of the iconic species Yangtze finless porpoise reached 1249, an increase of 237 compared with the 2017 census, achieving a historic rebound; The Yangtze river swordfish migrated upstream to Dongting Lake, and it has reached the farthest distribution waters in history.
At present, it is the key node of the Yangtze River fishing ban from "three-year strong foundation" to "ten-year internal strength training", and the implementation of the important instructions of the General Secretary and the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee the State Council to adapt to the new situation and new requirements. On the basis of extensive research and in-depth research, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the member units of the coordination mechanism, requested the General Office of the State Council to issue the Opinions on Unswervingly Promoting the Ten-year Fishing Ban in the Yangtze River. The "Opinions" mainly re-deploy and re-emphasize the ten-year fishing ban from the aspects of excellent mechanism, strong guarantee, strict law enforcement and solid ecology.
In the aspect of excellent mechanism, it is required to establish and improve the working mechanism of vertical linkage and integration from top to bottom, the coordination mechanism of horizontal coordination and mutual cooperation, and the accountability mechanism of urging guidance and compacting responsibility.
In terms of strong security, for more than 230,000 fishermen who have retired, the "toolbox" for employment and old-age care has been enriched and improved, and it has been further promoted from "retired" to "stable" and "rich".
In terms of strict law enforcement, we will deploy the law enforcement mechanism, task layout, supervision focus and capacity building around comprehensively improving the efficiency of law enforcement supervision.
In the aspect of ecological stabilization, the foundation of monitoring and evaluation has been continuously consolidated, and key measures such as grasping the protection of flagship species and strengthening the restoration of key aquatic habitats have been clarified. In addition, it also puts forward clear requirements for local governments to introduce support policies according to local conditions and enhance policy synergy.
The promulgation of the "Opinions" will certainly provide a more powerful policy guarantee for the ten-year ban on fishing in the Yangtze River. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will implement the overall responsibility of taking the lead, work with the member units of the coordination mechanism and all places along the Yangtze River, focus on the ultimate goal of restoring aquatic biodiversity, continue to deepen the work of fishermen’s resettlement protection, law enforcement and supervision of fishing bans, and aquatic biological protection, improve internal strength, improve quality and efficiency, and ensure that the Yangtze River’s ten-year fishing ban is stable and far-reaching, and achieve the expected results.